Branded
by notjaneausten
Summary: Slightly AU, the main group has reunited at the disused Terminus site but there is still the reunion of my favourite couple. Rated M for the steamy conclusion.
1. Chapter 1

Branded

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Walking Dead, I am merely twisting the characters to suit my own imagination.

Chapter One

Daryl looked at the woman standing before him, still not entirely believing that she was real. It had been so long since he had last seen her, that he had almost given up hope that she had survived, living a life apart from the rest of the group all of these past weeks. Before he could even formulate a complete sentence, he found himself surrounded by the warmth of her arms. Carol was deceptively slender, hiding a strong wiry build under an almost fragile appearance. Daryl tucked his head into her shoulder and send a silent prayer heavenwards. He had never been much of a believer but after a year of living near Hershel, had come to respect the faith the man had shown and after Carol had left the prison found himself talking nightly to the Man above. Carol wrapped a slender hand in his overlong hair and tugged his head back a little to look into his familiar eyes.

"Hey, Pookie."

"Hey, yerself." Daryl whispered hoarsely, trailing one scarred finger across the freckles covering the bridge of her nose. "Where've you bin all this time?"

"Not too far away, I found Judith and Tyrese out on the road a ways back, we had Mika and Lizzie along too for a while, but now it's just us."

"You had me worried, woman. When Rick told me what he had decided, I searched for you…" Daryl twined his fingers around Carol's hand and stepped back, leaving a little space in between them so that he could see her face. The lines of weariness worried him, as did the look in her eyes when she mentioned the little girls that she had doted on in the prison. He looked around for the rest of the group and noticed that they were all gathered around Rick and the baby, celebrating their reunion. Daryl led Carol over to the side of the tracks leading away from Terminus, and they sat quietly for a while looking over at the now deserted former depot.

"I'll let Tyrese fill you in about the girls, it's a little hard for me to talk about…" Even mentioning their names, caused Carol's throat to tighten and she felt tears threatening at the back of her eyes. She blinked hard a couple of times to clear them and nodded her head over in the direction of the Terminus building. "Tell me more about this place, we saw a couple of signs along the track, I thought that it was supposed to be some sort of refuge?" Daryl merely grunted and picked up a handful of gravel and started to throw them across the track a piece at a time.

"Shoulda known it to be a bunch of bull. Merle always said that if something looks too good to be true, then it probably is. We arrived early yesterday to find the place deserted and crawling with half eaten walkers. Took most of the day to clear the place out but after spendin' the night, Rick ain't too sure whether we should move on or not. The place is too big and exposed to shore up properly and after looking at the map it's not near enough ta proper drinkin' water or supplies."

"Has anyone else come along from the prison?"

"Maggie and Glen, Beth, Sasha and a few others."

"What about Hershel?" As soon as Carol asked the question, the answer was revealed on Daryl's face. She leant her head onto his shoulder and sighed heavily.

"When is it going to be enough?"

"Ain't givin' up yet, and don't you neither!" Daryl nudged Carol with his shoulder and she looked up wearily. What she saw in his steady, unblinking gaze gave her more reason to carry on than anything that Rick or Shane had done for the group. No, what Carol saw was the unwavering conviction that they would endure whatever God saw fit to throw at them next. She nodded her head slowly, only to have Daryl reach over to grasp her upper arms firmly.

"Naw, Carol! You ain't seeing it. I'm tryin' to tell you…" Daryl tried to let her know how he was feeling, but felt suffocated by the actual words. He had never been good expressing his innermost thoughts and was even worse when it came down to acting upon them.

"What, Daryl?" Carol looked deep into his eyes, sure she knew that he cared for her a little, but so what? Daryl cared for everyone in the group, the little everyday things that he did showed he cared far more than his gruff exterior would ever let on. It showed in the way that he would look out for the sweetest little romper suit for Judith, or slipping in a comic book for Carl right down to the fact that he knew Rick's preferred brand of gum. Somehow all of these things would end up in Daryl's sack whenever he was out on a run alone.

"I ain't ever been good at the actual words…" Daryl found himself rubbing her upper arms caressingly, hating the white press of the marks his grip had left in her soft skin, and was trying to rub them away. It brought to mind too many times those marks had been purple and blue from Ed's beatings and he never wanted to be associated with that scum in Carol's mind.

If he could see inside her mind right now he would have known that his very actions proved that Daryl had never needed the actual words to show his feelings. Like the day after the attack near Atlanta where he had handed over the pick axe without a word; knowing that she would want the satisfaction of seeing that axe sink far into her abusive husband's head to be certain that he would not rise again. Even more so, when she continued to vent six years of pent up anger and frustration, pounding that axe over and over into Ed's skull long after it ceased to be a skull any longer. The picture of him returning back exhausted after another fruitless day searching for Sophia, Daryl had never lost certainty that he would eventually find her, and long after she herself had given up all hope. Daryl reaching into his vest pocket to reveal a carefully preserved Cherokee Rose and telling her that she was as strong as the wild rose and if that could find a way to survive the devastation all around them then so could she.

"Sometimes we all need the words, if only just the once..." Carol whispered just as softly back to him. She saw him swallow hard and he removed his hands from her arms, leaving her feeling instantly bereft from the loss of his touch. Daryl looked down at his scarred and weather beaten hands and started to nervously pick at his thumbnail, a habit which had continued all through his life. He thought about what it was that drew him to the quiet woman sitting down next to him on the tracks. He admired her spunk and bravery, who knew that the mouse of a woman that had suffered from years of neglect with an abusive husband would turn out to be one of the council members of the group? She was one of the best amongst them with a knife and for someone that had served up squirrel on more than one occasion, had never shirked from skinning and gutting anything that she once would have squirmed away from in disgust.

Carol looked over at the thoughts flitting across Daryl's face, she had feelings for this man that she never thought she would experience. Not even in the best days of her marriage with Ed, had she felt this almost overwhelming emotion. She had kept it hidden deep inside for so long and then one day had just decided to start to let it shine through. It started with little things at first like keeping a plate warm for when he returned from a watch shift and then looking out for a warmer coat and gloves for the long nights spent up away from the group in the perch. Daryl shrugged the idea off at first, thinking that Carol just treating him the same as the other guys, before realising that there were times when Carol was actively seeking out his company and it made him feel uncomfortable at first until he couldn't imagine not spending his quiet times with her. It was only after he thought that she had died in the tombs that he realised exactly how much this spunky woman meant to him. He had insisted on digging her grave alone, waving off any offers of help and then spent a long time sitting alone staring into the empty space that would never hold her body. When she returned to them, **to him**; he didn't know how to react. At first, he was overly protective trying to keep her from any harm and it was only when Carol snapped back at him one day he realised that he was smothering her and backed off a little.

"Pookie? What are you thinking about so hard?" Carol nudged him playfully with her shoulder, bringing Daryl out of his daydreams. She could see that expressing his feelings to her was causing him difficulties and so reverted back to the playful flirtation that had been the mainstay of their relationship for the past year or so.

"Just thinkin' that if I had been a lawyer or banker or somethin' instead of a backwards hillbilly, I might have been a better match for you…"

"It doesn't matter to me, or to any one of us, what we were before. It only matters what we are now! Do you really think that a banker or a lawyer would have known how to have kept this camp fed over the long winter? Do you think that a banker would have known where to find me in those tombs and been able to bring me back like you did?" It was Carol's turn to grasp him by the arms and force him to meet her forthright gaze. "Daryl, don't you know how important you are to the group?"

"Never wanted to be important to the group, just to…"

"You're important to me." Carol interrupted and Daryl's lazy smile made her blink. He reached up a hand in between them and gently placed it over her lips.

"Woman, don't you ever let a man finish his sentence? I was jus' about to say that I never wanted to be important to the group and didn't want to belong…until I saw you again. When you came back from the tombs, I just wanted to stay wherever you were. Carol, you mean everythin' to me and I may not ever say the words that I know you want to hear…" Carol struggled to speak against the hand pressed against her lips but Daryl was determined to carry on.

"Let me finish, or I may never get up the gumption again… I ain't ever had the words said to me, 'cept maybe once or twice by my Mamma. But I will try and show you every day just how much I do…" He finally took his hand away from her mouth, only for Carol to bring her own hand up to her mouth to hide the trembling. After all of this time, she just couldn't help being overwhelmed by the emotions brimming to the surface at his returning feelings that she thought were hers alone. Suddenly all of the events from the last week rose to the forefront of her mind and she collapsed against him shaking with sobs.

Daryl raised his hands to her back, hating feeling so helpless and not knowing how to console her. He finally settled for gently rubbing his hands along her back, letting her cry it all out. The others in the group heard the wrenching sorrow and from along the track, Daryl saw Rick hand Judith over to her brother and bending down to say a few words in his son's ear. As Rick jogged back along the tracks, he signalled to where Glenn and Maggie were patrolling the far end causing them to bring the patrol a little closer to the Terminus buildings. Tyrese and Sasha took watch on the far side of the compound and Daryl saw that all four sides of the complex were now being closely watched as Carl led the last few members over to the far corner of the main yard where a few picnic benches were set up holding the last few of their possessions.

Rick approached Daryl quietly, bringing Maggie along with him. Maggie gently helped the still crying Carol to her feet and started to lead her into the complex. Daryl only seen Carol this devastated on two occasions before, the first was at the moment Doctor Jenner at the CDC had informed them all that they were locked them in a facility about to explode. Carol had pleaded with the doctor to let them have a chance to live with tears running down her face only to be told that there was no way of stopping the catastrophic decontamination process once it had begun. The other time was when Carol realised that her daughter had been locked in the barn on Hershel's farm the whole time that they had been there, only it wasn't her daughter as she remembered her. The realisation that Sophia had risen again was too much for Carol to bear and she had collapsed on the ground and had to be held back from reaching out to her daughter by Daryl once Rick had stepped forward with his revolver.

"Carol, go along with Maggie. I just want a quick word with Daryl and then he'll be right behind you. Go on now," Rick gently urged the two women to go into the complex before turning to kneel at the other man's side. "Daryl, Tyrese filled me in on what happened to the girls along the way. Carol had noticed Lizzie exhibiting some strange behaviour at the prison but just brushed it off as fear of the situation. Tyrese caught her feeding a walker a few days ago and then the day before yesterday he and Carol returned from a hunt to find that Lizzie had killed her little sister, Mika and seemed proud of the fact. Carol felt that she was too blame for not acting sooner, and wouldn't let Tyrese deal with the girl. Carol took care of the situation and then immediately confessed what she had done at the prison at the same time. Tyrese said that Carol seemed too calm, but there was something in her eyes that worried him; she wouldn't let him go on any of the hunts after that, insisting that he be the one taking care of Judith. It was Tyrese that insisted that they head for Terminus, hoping that some of us might have made it as well." Rick delivered the news and watched as the shock and horror of the tale showed on Daryl's face.

"Rick, she loved those two girls as if they were her own flesh and blood. She made a promise to their Dad that she would protect them, especially little Mika. What else does that poor woman need to go through? I'm telling you right now, man – you ever think of throwin' her out again, consider me gone too." Daryl delivered his last statement coolly and calmly, inwardly crying out at the cruel injustice that seemed to follow their small group. Rick rose to his feet holding out his hands in surrender.

"Now wait up a minute Daryl! I've already apologised for my actions of before and I meant it. No one has mentioned Carol leaving the group again, and as far as I am concerned we all stick together from now on. I just came over to fill you in and to mention that there is a little railway car that's set off a little ways inside the complex. I think it might be best for the two of you to spend a little time alone this evening, just until Carol feels more like herself again. She's been through a tough few weeks and doesn't need the rest of us gawking or throwing awkward questions at her, that she isn't emotionally capable of dealing with. I've asked Beth to set aside some blankets, clean clothing and some fresh water. You just settle yourselves in and come on out when she feels ready to face the world again."

"Okay, thanks Rick." Daryl accepted the hand that Rick offered to help him to his feet. He looked around for where he had carelessly dropped his crossbow when he had first noticed Carol approaching. It was the first time he had ever mistreated his weapon, and he looked it over carefully when he found it alongside the track. The two men walked slowly along the track and entered the complex, Rick waved goodbye and left Daryl peering around the corner of the sliding door of the railway car. Beth met him at the door and stepped down to greet him;

"She's been asking for you, D. Maggie's in there now with her, I think she's all cried out now…"

"Thanks, Beth. You go along now and get yourself something to eat. I'll take care of Carol." Daryl awkwardly patted Beth on the shoulder as he passed around her to jump up into the car, he noticed Carol huddled in the far corner wrapped in a faded cotton quilt. Maggie rose to her feet when Daryl approached them. She laid a kiss on Carol's cheek in farewell and nodded goodbye to Daryl before leaving them both. She gently slid the door of the car partway shut as she left, offering them a little more privacy from the rest of the group.


	2. Chapter 2

The car was situated at an angle with the sliding door facing in towards the centre of the complex. Carol was in the far corner of the car well away from the door and Daryl was certain that no one would be able to overhear any of their conversation from within. He crouched down beside her and was relieved to see that she seemed a little brighter. Carol rolled back a corner of the quilt and Daryl laid himself down behind her, tucking the quilt into place over them both. He slid one arm carefully around her waist and sighed with relief when Carol immediately hugged it closer to her chest. The aftermath of her crying jag had left her feeling totally drained and Carol had an aching head and swollen nose from blocked tears.

"Rick told me, so you don't have to speak about it ever again, if you don't want too." Daryl whispered into the short strands of hair at the back of her neck. Carol merely tightened her hold on his arm around her, and wiggled around so that she lay facing him under the quilt. She rested her head against a propped up arm and they quietly stared at each other in the dim light of the shadowed car.

"Can we just stay like this for a little while?" Carol finally whispered, voice husky from crying. Daryl reached up a hand to caress her cheek softly. "We can stay like this as long as you need. Rick said that Beth was going to leave some clean clothes and drinking water, if you feel like eatin' a little later we can join the rest." Carol made a face at the thought of food, and Daryl gently tapped her nose. "Or we can just stay like this for the rest of the night and finish our earlier conversation…I believe that I had just told you that I…well that…you know what I mean, I jest didn' get to hear whether you felt the same." Daryl inwardly cursed at himself for still not being able to spit out the right words, words that he knew she was dying to hear. Carol finally decided to end his suffering and reached up a hand out of the quilt to place a finger over his stuttering lips.

"Daryl, I've been showing you my feelings for such a long time that I thought that you would never really feel the same. I think that finally hearing that you did actually care was just a little bit too much for me to handle at the time."

"Well, woman? Sometime we all gotta hear the words, if only just the once…" Daryl playfully repeated parroted her own words back to her, making Carol shift around so that she could wrestle both her hands free to gently push back the overlong strands of hair that covered the pale blue of his eyes. Carol left one hand on his cheek and placed the other directly over Daryl's pounding heart.

"Daryl Dixon, no one has ever loved you the way that I love you and I guess I will just have to tell you that every day until you get tired of hearing it. I love you, Pookie." At her words, a boyish grin erupted against her fingertips and he pressed a kiss against them.

"I ain't tired of hearing it yet." Daryl shuffled a little closer and brought his finger up to capture a single glistening tear that had dripped silently onto Carol's cheek.

"I love you, Boo."

"Still ain't tired, although you may want to stop with the name callin'." This time, Daryl's finger traced a light path over the freckles that covered the bridge of her nose, across her cheekbones and over to the shell of her ear, making Carol shiver in reaction.

"Love you…" she whispered as his finger dipped in and around her outer ear and down over her neck. Daryl moved still closer so that his eyes could follow the path his finger was taking.

"Keep goin'." His head dipped closer and Carol felt her head fall to the side, giving him greater access to the sensitive area where her neck met collarbone.

"Mmmmm….."

"Didn't quite catch that. Wanna try again?" Daryl raised his head slightly only to find that Carol had her eyes closed in bliss, loving the touch of just that single finger and the way that the ends of his hair teased the side of her face.

"Mmmm…love you, Daryl." At the sound of his name paired with those special words, Daryl couldn't help himself from pressing a soft, suckling kiss at the side of her neck. A long sigh and moan came from deep within Carol and she squirmed under the quilt at the warmth curling in her stomach from his kiss.

"Guess you like that, huh? Still ain't tired." Daryl dropped a string of light kisses across her collarbone, pushing aside the neck of her shirt as he did so. He pushed the quilt aside and brought them both to their knees whilst wrapping one arm firmly across Carol's back to support her relaxed body. At the feel of his strong arm, Carol relaxed even further and mirrored his movement to sit astride the quilt as well. Daryl shifted ever closer until their knees were touching, he widened his thighs until Carol felt her knees press against his firm thighs.

"Still waitin' Carol." Daryl muttered against the side of her neck, puffs of warm breath tickled her sensitive nerve endings causing her to moan aloud. "Sssh, do you want everyone peerin' in at us?"

"Love you, Daryl. Aahhh!" Carol couldn't help herself from sighing loudly as Daryl suckled gently at the side of her neck in response to her words. She could feel his harsh breath and the soft slide of his warm tongue as well as the soft scrape of his teeth against the corded tendon.

"Put my mark on you, do you mind?" Daryl took a moment to catch his breath and leant back slightly to gauge her reaction at the huge wet hickey that he had placed high on her neck. Carol reached up with a trembling hand and caressed the wet spot. Meeting his eyes, she slowly shook her head as she leant forward.

"Not if I get to do the same…" Carol slowly moved her legs wider apart until she was straddling his lap. She brought her ankles together behind his back and settled her weight across his firm thighs. "Not too heavy am I?" She whispered, looking down at his almost cross eyed expression.

"Uhh…?" Daryl couldn't even breath properly, let alone formulate a coherent response. Her weight was the last thing on his mind as her crotch settled against the most masculine part of him, causing a rumble to erupt from his chest.

"Shh, we don't want everyone peering over at us?" Carol teasingly repeated his words back at him as she rocked slightly on his lap getting herself in position to lovingly mark her man. As she seated herself more firmly against him, Daryl moaned again.

"You keep doin' that woman, I won't care if the whole world watches us…"

"Promises, promises…" Carol teased her fingers over the waistband of his jeans where his vest had ridden up slightly. The touch of her cool fingers against his heated flesh made him leap up against his zipper. It was Carol's turn to moan now, as the firm pressure against her crotch set her stomach aching in emptiness. She blindly turned her head against his neck and nuzzled in. Daryl gripped her hips tightly with whitened fingertips, preventing her from making any other involuntary movements.

"For the love of God and all that is Holy!" Daryl bit out between clenched teeth, trying his best not to explode in his pants like some stupid college boy.

"Mmmmm…?" Carol ignored Daryl's muttered comment and ran her lips down and then back up the side of his corded neck, loving the salty tang of him on her tongue. She nipped gently at the soft skin just under the collar of his leather vest, sucking the skin between her teeth causing Daryl to let out a hiss between his teeth. Carol slowly released the skin and pressed soft, wet kisses up the side of his neck, stopping every so often to nibble at the stubble of his chin. Daryl's fingers clutched at her waist and felt her thigh muscles clench in response. Carol rocked helplessly against his groin and felt Daryl's hand slip under the back of her shirt to press against the base of her spine forcing her upper body to rest against the supple leather coating of his open vest. Her small breasts flattened against the firm muscles of his chest and they both drew in a sharp breath.

"Just imagine what it would be like if I were wearing a skirt." Carol panted heavily in the crook of Daryl's neck, barely able to speak due to the tremors racking her body. Daryl's fingers tightened on the hand that still held her in position at the base of her spine, whilst the other slipped around in between them to toy with the buttons at the bottom of Carol's shirt.

"Trust me, Carol. If you were wearin' a skirt, we wouldn't be sittin' on top of a quilt, I'd have you under it in five seconds flat." Daryl muttered in response, barely even aware of the words coming out of his mouth. Carol froze for a split second and then tore herself away, Daryl looked up certain that he had offended her with his coarse words….


	3. Chapter 3

Carol rose to her feet, leaving a shocked Daryl staring up at her from the quilt. Should he apologise? He didn't even know where to start… "Stupid, redneck – why's ya have to open yer mouth and ruin everything?" Daryl half muttered to himself as he looked at everything in the rusty old railcar, everything that is except for the woman right in front of him. When he did look around in Carol's direction, what he saw had the blood draining from his head to pool a little further south and he was certain that his mouth was hanging open. Carol was standing right in front of him wearing nothing but a tattered white, cotton bra and plain cotton panties. Her hands were at the back fastening just about to release the strap when she noticed a predatory look coming into Daryl's eyes darkening the lenses a deeper shade of blue. She stopped her actions as Daryl crept forward on his knees and simply stared up at her.

"Hold on there, woman. Let's not rush, I don't want this to be over too soon." Daryl reached up a hand and gently brought Carol's away from the bra strap, rising to his feet as he did so. Carol hesitated a bit, certain that he was rejecting her again.

"Ah, hell woman! Trust me, we'll get to the good parts a little later…ain't you ever hear of a little thing called foreplay?" Daryl saw the look coming into Carol's eye and immediately quashed any concerns she may have had before they even started.

"Foreplay, Daryl really? What do you think I've been doing all this time at the prison?" Carol hitched her hip a little, teasing him with her eyes.

"Huh, you call that little bit of teasin' foreplay? Shit, Carol you ain't seen nuthin' yet!" Daryl stretched to his full height and causing his leather vest to ride up revealing a little trail of dark hair leading into the waistband of his pants. He lowered his arms slowly as he caught Carol staring at his biceps and lower belly. She swiped her tongue over suddenly dry lips and raised her eyes slowly only to find Daryl watching her with one eyebrow cocked up questioningly.

"You're right, Pookie. I certainly haven't **seen** anything yet. Don't you think one of us is a little overdressed?" Carol asked, raising one eyebrow of her own.

"I think you might be right woman, we'll soon sort that out." Quicker than she'd even seen him draw his bow (and that man could have a deer dead in his tracks before anyone else could even notice the deer's approach), Daryl stepped forward and whipped off her plain, serviceable bra, revealing a surprisingly firm set of pink tipped breasts for a woman nearing her mid-forties. He gently traced a scarred, thick forefinger over one taut nipple and watched it tighten under his light, barely even there, touch.

"God Almighty, Carol! It's a crime to keep these covered up," Daryl whispered, continuing to lightly ghost a path around her nipple, causing it and the areola surrounding it to tighten even further. Carol bit into her lip to stop her helpless whimper from escaping, Daryl had barely touched her and she was ready to soak through her panties right there and then! She shifted on her feet, causing her thighs to rub together and releasing the musky scent of her arousal into the warm night air. Daryl's nose twitched as her scent rose up between them and his nostrils flared as his fingers tightened around her nipple, tweaking it between his fingertips. His other hand sneaked slowly around her back to dip low into the elastic band of her panties, slowly dipping further and caressing the smooth silkiness of her firm buttocks. Daryl dipped his head and brought their lips closer together, Carol muttered in dismay as Daryl nudged her head to the side and settled his lips on the small bite mark he had made earlier.

"Shhh, foreplay remember?" He muttered against the delicate curve of her neck, before seeing those magnificent breasts of hers, her neck was his most favourite part of her. Delicate looking and yet strong, it met at her shoulder and left tempting hollows just perfect for a man to nibble at… Daryl suckled and nibbled on the side of Carol's neck, causing shivers to ripple down her spine. Both of his hands were inside her panties now, rhythmically circling her buttocks, which were now clenched with desire. Carol felt her knees tremble and just before they buckled, Daryl was there to catch her and ease her back down onto the quilt. Just before joining her, Daryl whipped off his vest and unbuckled his pants, leaving them temptingly open at the waist. He dropped down next to Carol and dived in for another taste of her sweet lips. Carol immediately parted her lips for his invasion and felt his tongue swoop in to dally with hers. It was as though they had kissed a thousand times before, there was no awkward chin bumps or teeth clashing; they were so in tune with each other that they instinctively knew exactly when to thrust and retreat.

Daryl rolled them over so that Carol was pressed into the quilt beneath him. "Is this okay for you? You'd tell me if I did anything you didn't like?" He paused in his heated kisses, long enough to check with Carol that he wasn't reminding her of anything that her sorry excuse for a husband did.

"Trust me, Pookie – Ed would have been long finished and snoring by now. He was more of a stick it in and have it done with kind of guy." Carol could barely get the words out for the excitement building up inside of her.

"Enough talking, woman and let's get down to the good stuff!" Daryl winked at Carol as he shifted on the makeshift bed and took a moment to simply stare at her uncovered breasts pressing against his firm upper chest. He slid a little further down, and then back up again, loving the feel of her pointy nipples rubbing against his scant chest hair.

"I just have to do that again! Shit, Carol that's good!" Daryl rubbed his chest up and down a few times, kissing her deeply every time he went up and flicking his tongue in the valley between her breasts when he went down. Finally he couldn't resist any longer and when he slid down the next time, he drifted a little lower and drew one nipple deep into his mouth to firmly suckle on it, his cheekbones hollowing out with each rhythmic pull. Carol almost screamed in delight and twisted her hands into his hair, loving the feel of her deep within his mouth. Daryl drew strongly on her breast drawing more into his mouth, and massaging the other in firm circular motions with his other hand. He switched breasts after a short while, making sure that the other had just as much attention paid to it. He spared a glace through his sweat laced hair up at Carol who had a fierce look on her face, her lower body was twisting on the bed as she experienced more pleasure from having just her breasts sucked than she had ever experienced in fifteen bitter years of marriage. Daryl released her nipple with a little pop, and watched her breasts bounce against her chest from the force of her uneven breathing. He could feel her dampness through the leg of his pants and knew that she wasn't far off from going off like a rocket, luckily God made woman a little differently than men, and he knew that she had more than one good time in her still.

"Carol, darlin' if I ever see you in just a tank top and your cargo pants, I think I would bust right in my pants knowing what those beauties look like once I've had them in my mouth." That was all Daryl had to say to get Carol bucking against his leg uncontrollably. "That's is baby, give it to me. Let me have all you've got." He grasped her buttocks firmly and spread her legs harder against strong thigh. "Go on, Carol. Harder, baby." Daryl muttered against her neck, pressing the small of her back, Carol shifted position and rode up higher against him, rubbing her soaked panties against his washboard abs. Daryl wanted to feel all of her but didn't want to interrupt her obvious enjoyment, still keeping one hand on the small of her back he reached over slightly and grabbed a small knife that he had removed from his pocket. Whipping it up he slit through the sides of her panties until they were nothing but a strip of rags. He almost lost it there and then as the heat of her moist centre hit the bare skin of his abdomen. That was it for Carol and with a high pitched scream she found release and gushed hot moisture all over his stomach. Daryl fell back against the floor of the car with the force of her release, bringing Carol back down with him. He could feel her still twitching against him and making breathy sighs against his chest. Without losing contact with her at all, Daryl shucked his pants and boots until they were lying heated skin to heated skin. He was amazed that he could have given her that high just from touching her breasts alone, he had heard that some women could ejaculate with their orgasms, but that was simply amazing. Daryl was so aroused that he could have drilled a hole right through the side of the car and was so desperate to be inside her that he was astonished that he hadn't spilled all over the quilt already. The way that Carol was still rocking her hips against his stomach, it wouldn't be too far off. Daryl placed his hands on Carol's hips and slowed her movements down a little whilst shifting her slightly so that she was a little lower his lap. His breath hitched as her scalding heat grazed him, causing him to twitch and grow even firmer.

"Hmmm….had enough foreplay, Pookie?" Carol turned her cheek to lick at the moisture in the crook of Daryl's neck lazily. She was feeling blissful after that amazingly satisfying high and was ready for the fun to really start.

"Hope you're not fallin' asleep on me there. You ain't had the full Daryl Dixon experience yet." Daryl grinned wickedly over at Carol and brushed a hot wet kiss over her lips, his tongue just dipping in to tease her before retreating back again. He slipped one hand over her buttocks and dipped a single digit in between her cheeks to sample her moisture. He murmured in approval as he found her still dripping wet. At his questing touch, Carol let her legs slip a little further apart and felt his finger slip teasingly around her inner folds, dipping in and out but not straying to where she most wanted his touch. She bit gently into the side of his neck, which caused his finger to jerk a little off course and slipped inside her hot honeyed depths.

"Baby, you're like hot, molten lava burnin' against my finger. Do you like that?" Daryl pressed a little deeper inside and crooked his finger a little, just brushing against her nerve centre. He felt her inner walls clenching against him and Carol's teeth biting deeper into his neck told him all he needed to know. He slipped his finger out and brought it slowly to his mouth, keeping his gaze tightly fixed on her own. He licked her essence of his finger, laving his tongue up and down and murmuring his approval of her taste. Once he was done he urged Carol to lay on her back properly and pressed his hands either side of her smooth thighs, separating her legs further. With a wicked grin on his face, Daryl scooted further down the quilt leaving hot, moist kisses all over her body until he reached his destination. He blew gently onto her lower stomach and laughed softly at the grumbles he heard from above his head. As soon as his eyes reached the glistening curls hiding her femininity all laughter disappeared from his voice.

"I think I've just seen Heaven, and it is glorious indeed." Daryl looked at the vision before him, he scraped his fingernails gently through the rough, short curls and had to lay one hand on her thigh to prevent it from bucking up under his touch. He lay his head against her splayed thigh and blew gently over her curls as he slipped his forefinger back into her heat. It was almost too much for finger in and crooked them together, rubbing against the tiny nubbin that he discovered earlier. The heat against his fingers nearly blew him away and he had to get a taste of that honeyed liquid. He slid his fingers back and forth slowly and then twisted them as he removed them scraping the edge of his nail against her nub as they slid out.

"DARYL!" Carol screamed out her pleasure as once again she experience a wealth of sensations at his touch. Daryl slid his tongue into her warm opening and lapped up the moisture that flooded his mouth and dripped down his chin. He flat licked all around her folds, stabbing his tongue in and out in a rough parody of what his hard penis was dying to do. He removed his tongue after one more, long final lick and slid himself back up her body until he was firmly seated between her trembling thighs. Carol slid a hand down to take a firm grip on his manhood, sliding her hand along his whole length to feel the moisture leaking from the tip. She brought her hand back down his length, spreading the sticky fluid as she went. The feel of her slim fingers pumping his overheated skin made Daryl clench his teeth as he felt her slowly guide him into her body. Daryl caught his breath at the tight, wet feel of her. He paused at Carol's indrawn breath and stopped pushing forward.

"Okay, babe?" He put his weight on his upper arms so that he could lean back a little to look at her face. She looked a little tight about the mouth and he was worried that this might have been a step too far and reminded her of Ed. Carol forced herself to relax a little and immediately felt him slip a little further in, forcing her inner walls to grip him a little more firmly.

"Yeah, Pookie. It's just that…well let's just say that Daryl Dixon has a whole lot more to offer than one Ed Peletier! I'm okay now though." Carol let her thighs relax even more and Daryl pressed forward in small increments until he was firmly seated inside her.

"Babe, you feel frickin' amaaaazin'. This could be my most favourite place to be right here." Daryl retreated a little bit and then surged forward again, feeling her tight walls clench around him in welcome. It felt so good that he did it again and again, pulling out a little more each time and surging a little harder as he slid back in. The wet slide of flesh against flesh was such a turn on that both of them was urging the other to go harder and deeper than they had before. Their mouths clashed together, tongues tangling in a hot, wet dragging kiss that only made their movements below even more intense. Daryl could feel that Carol was teetering on the edge of another release and refused to go over himself until he had satisfied her completely. He palmed her breast, tweaking her nipples tightly and it felt frickin' amazing as her inner muscles clamped harder around him. He wanted to release her mouth so that he could get another taste of her ripe nipples but Carol nipped at his lips, capturing his lower one between her teeth refusing to let him away from her mouth.

Daryl felt himself about to lose control, there was no rhythm to their movements now, just a relentless slamming of flesh against flesh. He felt a tightening at the base of his spine and knew that he only had a few more moments before he would lose it completely or blackout. He slipped one hand down to where they were joined and rubbed circles around her nubbin, hoping that would set her off but she just refused to tip over the edge and continued to pound harder against him.

"Come on, baby. Let it go, I won't go until you do." Daryl muttered hard against the side of her neck, fighting for his every breath.

"I want us to go together." Carol tightened her legs around his waist, forcing him just a little deeper at a different angle and Daryl felt himself building up into a massive eruption.

"Frickin' hell woman! Aahhhh….love you….CAROL!" Daryl's last coherent thought was that at least he made sure his woman was satisfied before him, even though it was only just. Carol couldn't help herself from exploding with pleasure when she heard his mutter those last words, 'love you, Carol' – even if it was just heat of the moment, sometimes a woman needs to hear the words, at least once.


	4. Chapter 4

Coming down from his high, Daryl looked over at the woman lying boneless in his arms. He had finally said it, and still couldn't quite believe it. Sure, he meant it but did she hear him? Daryl gently smoothed his hand up and down her back from her neck to the lovely smooth curves of her backside. He could still feel her inner muscles rippling softly around him as they lay still intimately joined together, he was softening slightly but not enough to slip out of her completely and was quite content to stay exactly where he was for the rest of the goddamned apocalypse.

"Mmmmm…was that the whole Daryl Dixon experience or just a taster?" Carol murmured languidly from beneath his chest, breathing in the musky scent of their encounter.

"God, babe. One word from you and I'm hard as a pole already and I ain't even come up fer air yet." Daryl felt himself harden within her once again just at the sound of her cat-that-got-the-cream voice. "Do you always sound like that after you've rocked off?" He rocked slowly between her thighs, gently thrusting up and back.

"Don't know…never had…" Carol bit her lip at the exquisite sensation of feeling the man she loved moving inside her. She moaned a little when Daryl suddenly stopped moving.

"Come again?"

"Yeah, Pookie, would love to, but you stopped!" Carol berated him softly and only giggled when he growled at her. Those giggles though caused a little action down below which made him lose his train of thought for a little bit as things heated up a little and then a lot….

"YES! GOD! CAROOOOOOLLLLL!" Daryl pistoned into her, slamming up against her cervix in an almost animalistic frenzy. Her legs were high up around his waist by this point, ankles locked tight together. Daryl didn't give a shit if the railway car fell sideways or a whole herd of frickin' walkers came in, what his woman could do with her hips was almost lethal. He rolled sideways off of her afterward and barely had the strength to graze her hip with his fingertip before falling into a comatose like sleep, all strength depleted.

Chapter Five

Daryl drifted from sleep into a half waking state, convinced that if this was a dream he didn't ever want to wake up. Soft moist lips were trailing wet, sucking kisses across his hipbones and he rolled onto his back, just to make things easier of course. Delicate fingers drifted across his thighs stirring him to life and he shifted in his doze, hoping those fingers drifted a little lower, to make it a really good start to the day.

"Aaahhh, yeah baby. A little harder…." He murmured, still half dreaming as those ghosting fingers, grasped his firm length and gently pulled. He wrapped one of his own hands around the smaller hand, and showed her how he liked to be touched, tightening the grip at the base and then softer at the tip. He muttered tetchily when the hand disappeared and then this turned to a deep moan when he opened his eyes to find himself being softly tongued by the woman he had been dreaming about. Carol kept her eyes wide open on the man she was pleasuring with her mouth, she had never liked this with Ed, but with Daryl – well let's just say that she had found her new favourite toy. Daryl fisted both hands in the quilt to prevent himself from grabbing the back of her head to force her to take him even deeper. Man, what he thought she could do with her thighs, weren't nuthin' compared to what she was doing right now with her teeth and tongue.

"Carol, want to be inside you proper. Don't want to explode in your mouth. Please, baby?" Carol reluctantly released him with a little plop, giving him once last lick with her tongue as she let him slide out. As soon as he was free, Daryl made sure that she was ready for him by rubbing little circles around her nubbin with his finger. When he felt the warmth coating his finger, he couldn't help dipping it inside for a little preview.

"Daryl…don't tease me…please, Pookie?" Carol bucked against his finger, it felt great but now that she had a taste of the long, thick length of him she wanted nothing but the real thing.

"Nag, nag, nag…Ain't even married yet and she's like a proper wife already…" Daryl complained light heartedly but was all too eager to comply. He pushed in firmly, finding it easier than the night before, but it was still a hot, snug embrace. Carol's legs came up to wrap around his waist as if they had done this a hundred times before. She had a teary look to her eyes and Daryl stopped thrusting to look down in concern. He brushed a hand over her cheek to ask if she was alright.

"What, babe? Are you too sore? Want me to stop?" He felt that it would kill him to pull out now, but if that was what Carol wanted then he would do it. He started to withdraw only to have Carol cross her ankles over his buttocks forcing him to remain deeply rooted inside. "Alright, I'm not goin' anywhere! But what's the matter, Baby?"

"You said 'ain't married, YET' Does that mean that you want to get married?" Carol asked hesitantly, after all they hadn't even been a couple until yesterday… Daryl stopped all movements completely and leant forward until they were pressed against each other breast to chest; both breathing rapidly at the contact.

"Carol, do you really think this sort of connection is for everyone? I ain't never had this with anyone else before, I mean I could go a round with a woman but then would be completely useless after that. It weren't five minutes with you I was rarin' to go like I hadn't already touched Heaven. 'Course I want to marry you….I don't ever want to lose you again….and I ain't just talking about the bedroom here, but you and me…we belong together." Daryl stared deep into Carol's eyes as he made the longest speech he had ever made in his life, he wanted her to know that this type of feeling was rare, coming along once in a lifetime. For him she was it, there would be no other person that could match him so perfectly.

"You'd better get two rings on your next run then, I want every woman to know who you belong to." Carol looked up into his smiling face and ran a hand over the deep red bite mark on his neck. "This will do for a couple of days, but if we come across another group of nubile young women, I want them to see that you've already been branded."

"Baby, I've been branded since the day I met you, I just didn't know it yet." Daryl leant down and gave his fiancée the sweetest kiss, and letting his body do the rest of the talking for him. With every touch, with every kiss he poured out his heart and soul until she was in no doubt that she was loved and loved completely.

They emerged into the sunlight to find empty trays of food left just outside the door and a conspicuous absence of anyone in the vicinity of the railway car. Rick later explained that the two of them had been so vocal over the past day and a half that everyone was in no doubt at all at what had been occurring inside. Tyrese had been the only one brave enough to venture close enough to leave the trays outside but when no one emerged the first evening they had split the food between them rather than let it go to waste. It was only later on that evening that Rick decided that no one else should have to suffer hearing their screams of pleasure so had left a disgruntled Glenn and Tyrese on watch and moved everyone else to the other side of the compound. One look at the couple's faces when they finally emerged was enough to lighten the mood – everyone knew that they were destined to be together eventually and so heaved a sigh of relief now that it had finally happened.

It was only after the congratulations had died down that both Carol and Daryl realised that they were both on the receiving end of some barely supressed laughter. Rick slapped Daryl on the back in congratulations and whispered something in Daryl's ear, which made him whirl around to face Carol.

"Dammit woman! My favourite vest! I can cope with the hickeys and touchin' and all that…but my vest!" Whilst Daryl had been sleeping, Carol had found a permanent marker and written a message across the back of his vest: IF FOUND RETURN TO CAROL PELETIER.

"Sorry, Pookie but you did say I could brand you." Carol tried to look contrite but erupted into laughter at the expression on his face. He took off his vest, leaving his chest barely covered by a thin tank and narrowed his eyes at her.

"Baby, what did we talk about this morning?" He stalked toward her, trying to be stern but couldn't help the grin spreading across his face. "And I don't mean 'ooh, Daryl – there, harder baby harder!'" Everyone erupted into laughter at the sound of Daryl mimicking Carol in the throes of passion, a grin spread over the whole of his face. This was lean, mean Daryl Dixon who threatened to cut the balls off of any man that even thought about touching Carol – lean, mean Daryl who had just swept Carol up into his arms like he was about to carry her over the bridal threshold.

"Pookie, you know I can't think straight when you show off your muscles like that." Carol whispered into his ear as he stalked back over to the centre of the camp. Daryl set her to her feet and glanced around to make sure that he had everyone's attention – especially Tyrese who looked just a little bit too comfortable with Carol yesterday, and that young blonde from Woodbury who had been giving him the eye lately.

"Rick, we need to make a run into the nearest town as soon as we are able…" Daryl announced, addressing the group as a whole. There were murmurs of disagreement, Rick just stood there with his arms crossed, amazed at the change in the man before him.

"And just why is that Mr. Daryl Dixon?" Carol stood tapping her toe impatiently in the dirt, wasn't it enough that they had all just barely escaped from a terrible event and now he wanted to go on a run to a town that they hadn't even looked at yet?

"'Cos you stupid woman…"Daryl stalked over and raised the vest in her direction, everyone held their breath at whether this new couple would even be a couple for much longer. That vest was Daryl's prized possession, and Carol had written her statement in huge lettering all over the back. Daryl dropped the vest at Carol's feet and placed his finger gently under her chin. "You went and put the wrong name across the back. Gonna have to get me a new one now….unless you've changed yur mind?" This last part was whispered softly against her lips, Carol threw her arms around his neck and plastered kisses all over his face and lips.

"No! I've not changed my mind, have you?"

"Better not have, not with everyone starin' at me like I've suddenly grown a third leg." Daryl was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable with attention, luckily Carol knew exactly how to distract him. She rubbed herself suggestively against the bulge in his pants.

"You mean you haven't actually got a third leg?" She hitched a brow over at the now empty railcar. "Wanna screw around?" Daryl grinned over and waggled his eyebrows up and down before throwing her over his shoulder and striding off to the car.

"We've got some celebratin' to do, Dixon style. We'll be back before dark to take watch, keep everyone away will ya Rick… my baby can get a tad loud when she's real excited…."

Rick, Glenn and Maggie just stood staring silently at the couple disappearing into the railway car again.

"Would the real Daryl Dixon please stand up?" Glenn muttered in disbelief.

"Honey, I think that WAS the real Daryl Dixon, and I think he just needed Carol in order to show it." Maggie patted her husband's arm consolingly, Glenn might be a real champ when it came to plotting routes and strategy but was a real dumbass when it came to people.

"I think I might like this new Daryl. Who'd have thought that a little mouse like Carol could have tamed the wild beast like Daryl?" Rick mused quietly as they started to walk away.

"Wild beast indeed!" Maggie looked back over and waved a hand over her face to cool it off, as the very vocal sound of Daryl Dixon shouting out his pleasure echoed out of the railway car.

"Come on Mags, before you start getting any ideas about skipping watch tonight!" Glenn steered his curious wife away from the railway car, feeling very flushed at the idea of the couple inside.

Carol and Daryl wouldn't have cared less at that particular moment, both were blissfully unaware of anything except for the sight, sound and taste of each other. Within moments of reaching the car, clothing was stripped of haphazardly and they had dived back into the quilt cocoon that still held the warmth and muskiness of their earlier couplings. Now they dozed happily, wrapped in the post coital haze, not thinking about what waited for them tomorrow or the next day, both just focused on the here and now – that little piece of Heaven inside a rusted out railway car in the middle of only God knows where, USA.


End file.
